The Official Blog of AlphaGraphics in the Cultural District

Internship

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Like many other college students, having an internship was a make it or break it kind of deal. Either we took one and graduated, or we didn’t and spend another quarter at school. It wasn’t something that I personally wanted to do; not that I minded, I just felt like I had better things to do with my time and it was really my first job experience in the field. I was terrified, nervous, and a bit put off; it felt like life was coming way to fast and I couldn’t do anything about it! That all changed five minutes after I walked through the door for the first time here at AlphaGraphics. Any trace of negative feelings, apprehensions, and simple shyness flew out the door because I fell in love with this business instantly. The people here are nothing short of amazing. They welcomed me and never once did I feel like I was “in-the-way.”

Everyone starts out in the bindery, and that’s where I first met John. John has the patience of a saint, often repeating what he’s teaching us about various machines and techniques so that the idea isn’t lost to us and he has always pushed us to try to do things on our own so we weren’t just standing around watching people work. John isn’t the only one; Rich and Liz have been extremely helpful and patient and are always willing to answer any questions I’ve had with smiles on their faces. Clare always greets me with a smile when she passes and never fails to ask how I am doing and how I’m enjoying it here, she’s welcomes everyone and makes you feel part of the team (actually family would be a better word) foremost and really cares about everyone that walks through the door. The design team is awesome; Tracy is always really supportive and gives really good critiques, and everyone is phenomenal both personality and design wise. I’ve learned a lot just by the designs they put together. Our print specialist Rob is always in high-spirits and Molly, our large-format print specialist, is always fun to be around. Everyone here works hard, but the little bit of fun on the side is always something to look forward to.

I’ve learned so much from everyone here at AlphaGraphics, from printing, to cutting, to large-format assembly. My time here has been wonderful and I’d like to thank everyone here for taking me under their wing and showing me the “behind-the-scenes” action that design goes through to become a final printed piece. I’m going to miss working here, but I’m going to miss the people even more, if I had one regret it would be that my stay here could have been just a little bit longer.

As a student studying graphic design at Pittsburgh Technical Institute I had the pleasure of finishing my last three months interning with AlphaGraphics in the Cultural District. The time that I spent working there was the most valuable part of my education because I was able to gain actual experience with design and production.

One of the first things I noticed during my internship was the staff. In my opinion, one of the most important things to have at any job is an awesome group of people to work with. Everyone at AlphaGraphics made me feel like I was part of the team from the moment I started. They were always happy to help me learn about what they do and how everything works. I have never met so many people that were as dedicated to the industry, their company, and their clients as AlphaGraphics. There was never a day I came to work and someone wasn’t smiling.

During my internship I spent my time learning more about the business, designing, and working in the bindery. I learned how to run all of the machines in the bindery and how to fix them. I have enjoyed every minute with AlphaGraphics and I would like to thank them for giving me the opportunity of interning with them and giving me the knowledge and skills to begin my career in graphic design.